Arctic white

Pilot & Alien peace pow-wow

Golden brown to arctic white in a day. We awoke to 5 degrees this morning and 3-4" of squeaky new snow on the ground. Beautiful outside, but a bit colder than was forecasted but I decided to ride anyway. My usual cut-off temp to ride down has been 10, but they forecasted a low of 15 last night so I got all psyched to go. I am in the zone these days, I am loving the rhythm of the bike commute. Although I keep having to relearn the obvious lessons i've been taught by Mother Nature many times before like don't change your tried and true setup at the last minute. (I wore too much and sweated too much.) But other than that, I was golden. the Hunter with the Nokian studs stuck to the ground like glue. Without studs, it would've been treacherous, or at least stupidly treacherous instead of totally do-able.

The 'drop' into the canyon was relatively nice even though the temperature never really warmed up from Siberian Valley Ranch's 5. A documented rare occurrence - there was a place colder than my house! The Redneck had zero temps at his house (down the road a few miles). Even with the Moosemits and my favorite Ibex Climawool gloves with liners, my fingers started to get a little cold; my big toes were already gone. Wish they made Moosemitts for the feet! I want to try out the Lake MXZ302's instead of the packed out 10 year old Northwave's but we'll see what Santa says. The word on the dirt road is that they wear out fast. Anyone else have experience with them?

KingNIMBY and fam passed me mid-downhill but I caught up with them towards the bottom. Per their suggestion, I hopped in the car for the middle section of the commute (along a high speed narrow canyon with many cars that wasn't plowed very completely) so I wasn't an hour late to my 8:30am meeting. (Studded tires are SLOW! This was an upslope storm too, so there was an abnormal headwind on the way down.) Good thing I nabbed a ride, as the road was a mess and it seems like nobody remembers how to drive in the snow anymore.

More cold on the way. This wasn't supposed to be the coldest day of this week. As i write this it's -10 and the dogs can't go outside without almost immediately laying down and holding up their cold paws with looks of sheer horror. Then they limp and crawl back inside and sit next to the fire.

(Note to self: allow 2 hour commute time with snow on the ground and using studded tires).

Confessions of a gear whore

I am now known by name at the local Sports Recycler. I definitely have gotten some good use out of that place over the years and it's the same dudes running it, but still, I apparently go there too often and I'm not exactly the most social of types introducing myself and stuff. I do like gear, and for someone who tries to be low on the 'consumption totem pole' i fail miserably year in, year out. Mostly I like (ok, LOVE) gear because I have high expectations and i also quickly wear stuff out. That, and I find out quickly that some gear just plain sucks and you don't know until you try it out. I should go over the gear I have that I've had for greater than 5 years just to share what works, and lasts. Future blog post but while I'm thinking about it...Northwave Arctic winter cycling shoes (c.1999), Independent Fabrications Planet Cross bike (c.2000), Deuter Futura 28 cycling pack (c.2002), Swobo longsleeve wool jersey (c.1997) - finally had to recycle this year because of too many moth holes rendered it somewhat useless sadly. More later.

[PS- the elevation profile on my last post has been fixed. Word to Google Chrome developers - when i post images using Chrome, they don't size up in a new window when clicked! Must use Firefox or IE.]

Golden brown

The winter bike commute routine: 6am wake up call. Get up, check outside temperature, clothe accordingly. Let dogs out to go potty and stand out there with them to make sure Bear doesn't snack. Go inside and grub cereal, FRS, and warm up the espresso machine. Pull a couple of shots and sit with my girl watching the outside world wake up while enjoying the warm sweet bitters of the coffee. Say goodbye to all, board bike, and ride off down the road. Get to work an hour and 20 minutes later (the "direct route") and sit at my desk for 8 hours - mix in a meeting or two and call it a normal day. Quitting time puts me back on the bike riding the 5-ish miles back into town to the station where the bus shuttles me back up the 17 miles to Ned. I dismount the metal tube and motivate for the cold and likely windy 4 mile ride back home in the dark. Get home, pet dogs, grab beer and make fire. Eat, sleep, repeat.

The golden brown grass in the morning light is one of my favorite scenes of winter here. Some people call this place "too brown" or "not green enough" but for me it's hard to imagine a more beautiful place.

Today, 12 degrees and over 80% humidity at the house = Siberian Valley Ranch strikes again. As i climb out of the creek, it warms significantly and only one car passes me this time up the dirt road climb. What is up with that?! I even stopped to take a picture and still only one car passed me!

The elk were out today in the big meadow. Two bull elk were practicing their moves and bugling. They noticed me watching them from at least 1500 feet away. There's something about bikes they don't like...they spook more easily when they see me on bike but not when I'm in a car. Guess I look more like a predator (or alien?).

Up on the rolling dirt road you see above it's warm(er), no mitts needed, but I leave them on for the 4 plus mile, 3000 ft. descent into the canyon where there are some places that don't get sun for weeks in the winter. It's not too bad today and the fingers and toes thankfully stay warm. I usually don't do the math or cite stats, but I actually had never figured out the ascent/descent/length from my most recent abode to work. So here it is once and only once, not like anyone's keeping track: 24 miles, 1280 ft ascent, 3026 ft descent. Summertime I occasionally reverse that by riding home too but heck no in winter.

A ride back from the bus with the Redneck tonight. Talking or shall I saw scheming of skiing and new techniques to keep the hands warm whilst skiing and riding. If I only knew how to sew and had an industrial-type sewing machine! I'd make some cool stuff and test it out on these commutes. Hmm...

Abyss Stout

This beer you have to ask for by name. The people that stock it keep it for themselves, in the back, and hope no one asks for it. I think I got the last bottle in Boulder. It sells out in a few days upon arrival from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon...it's THAT good. It's insanely good; the best stout on earth as I see it. Timmy saw the future and bought a few bottles when he saw it at Bottles, but now it's gone and I had to ask (beg) LM guys to look in the back for one. THE last one. It's my lucky night!

Silverton Mountain

If you can, check out the December 2009 issue of Backcountry Magazine. Not only is it the photo annual getting us overly psyched up for skiing when there's no good snow to be had in these parts at least (yet), on page 43 is a short writeup of Silverton Mountain reflecting on our day at the mountain last February.

Time for the Moosemits

I like getting back into the pattern of the bike commute. Yesterday and today have been sub-20 at the house and a mile away climbed at least 5 degress above that thankfully. The road in the above shot is the normal winter route as the trails are more or less shut down by snow (for Tank's small tires at least). It's only a 1 mile, 400+ vertical feet ascent but it seems like it takes forever. Although it is a good warm up or wake up after the first 3-4 miles of downhill along Cold Creek. Today, not one car passed me going up this road, something i don't think has ever happened to me before. The holidays see so many fewer people on the road.

Winter's a unique time to be out there at the start and end of the days. The light is incredible (if it's not dark like after the bus ride home) and the temperatures and the road conditions keep you on your toes. I finally broke out the Moosemitts after some scolding by my poor fingers who seem to get cold when they even look at the thermometer. I have ruined my nerves in my fingers and toes via winter commuting and skiing. I think I've finally learned that there is no glove on earth that will keep my fingers warm - the gloves aren't the problem, it's all me. So therefore, i've learned over the last 8 years of doing these mountain commutes is to put on the Moosemitts when it's sub-20...period. No questions asked, just do it. Has anyone ever complained of their hands being too warm? Don't think so. The Moosemitts are a bit cumbersome, but you can wear a lighter glove for better dexterity and still stay warm. NOTE: I noticed tonight that the makers of the mitts have a new version out! -- for drop-bars (yes, Timmy, you heard me right!) and the regular model works for ski poles (yes, Redneck, you heard me right!).

Back on the bike

Friday Nov. 20.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've ridden a bike. (I know some of you may be saying sarcastically, "WHoA! That's crazy!") Lots of excuses that are too personal to blog about but I'll just say it was great to get back on the bike even if it was just for a couple commutes on ice and snow packed roads. The start of the week we woke up to the coldest morning of the season so far at zero degrees, but it warmed up throughout the week and my rides on Thursday and Friday were a relatively pleasant 20 degrees. Had to find all the winter riding gear, which gloves to use at which temperature range (my perennial issue even though my fingers get cold no matter what), and so on.

It's amazing how fast the fitness goes. (FAST. now i go SLOW.) It was the longest time of the bike in over least two years. The body does strange things adapting to a life without much movement. I get sore in weird places, my back goes out where i hurt it 18 years ago, I get grumpy easier and am more quick to anger, the list goes on.

Over time, humans have replaced the practical purpose of adrenaline and testosterone from fight or flight (survival) to a staged fight and flight (sports). I wonder why the body has kept this addictive tendency towards adrenaline when the real need has subsided (we don't need to do sports to truly survive; we don't need to hunt to survive any longer)? I don't think it happens to everyone, but some are more prone to the addiction. Once you stop for awhile, it subsides a bit, but the draw is always there. I have to keep moving and pushing myself or I fee unsatisfied and anxious. Maybe sports keep these functions in the genome whereas they would otherwise disappear over centuries of the population as a whole being sedentary? Do the fittest survive (pun intended)? But do they have fewer of their genes in the pool? Will the fast food dieters win out in the end only to spell out certain death for the human race?

I did not reproduce, but I did ride my bike today.